News
Local

Township council considers sale of alvar habitat

A parcel of land owned by Loyalist Township may be sold to the Nature Conservancy of Canada so it can be converted to a conservation area.

The conservation agency is interested in the land near Fred Brown Road in order to protect globally rare alvar habitat, naturally open land with either a thin covering of soil or no soil over a base of limestone or dolostone.

The 40-hectare property includes a former landfill and is covered by part of the Camden East Alvar and municipal staff support the sale to the NCC.

“The property does not front on an improved public road. Given the habitat, the site’s remoteness and the presence of the former small landfill, the property has little value,” Murray Beckel, the township’s director of planning and development services, wrote in a report to council on Monday night.

Last year, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) and the Environment and Climate Change Canada purchased 16 hectares of land northeast of Napanee is to be protected to provide nesting and feeding habitat for grassland birds, including the endangered eastern loggerhead shrike. The land was added to the existing Napanee Limestone Plain Important Bird Area.

“Before selling any land, the township must, by bylaw or resolution, declare the land to be surplus, obtain at least one appraisal and give notice to the public of the proposed sale. However, an appraisal is not required in certain circumstances, including transfer of land to a local board, such as a conservation authority,” Beckel wrote. “A local board is not defined in the bylaw, and given the conservation mandate of NCC, staff recommend the transfer be permitted at a nominal value, provided that NCC absorb the cost of the survey and the cost of any notices.”

A survey is estimated to cost about $10,000.

The proposed sale of the land to the NCC is supported by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests and the Kingston Field Naturalists.

“The proposed transfer of Loyalist Township land for the purpose of conservation with NCC will ensure land with significant alvar habitat is maintained and protected for a long period of time,” Justin White of the OMNRF wrote.

“NCC conservation initiatives aim to preserve or enhance significant ecological features that play an important role for local flora and fauna species.”

In a letter to township council, Alexandra Simmons, president of the Kingston Field Naturalists, also said the purchase of the land by the NCC would benefit local environmental conservation efforts.

“This outstanding parcel of alvar habitat contains rare plant species and uncommon butterflies and birds that depend on them. It represents a significant area of a habitat known to exist in limited amounts, many other examples of which are degraded or threatened,” Simmons wrote.

“NCC ownership will bring about implementation of a long-term management plan to retain and improve the land’s natural heritage value and plan low-impact public access and education.”

Township council is to discuss the land transfer at its meeting Monday night.